Like a Prayer

This article is about the album. For other uses see Like a Prayer (disambiguation).

Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album and sixth recording by singer Madonna, released in 1989.

Album history

By 1989, Madonna was undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the world. Like a Prayer was considered to be her most accomplished artistic statement at the time, incorporating rock, dance, pop, soul, and funk elements into the album. Madonna chose the title track as the first single, and before it was released, Pepsi decided to use the song as part of their commercial campaign featuring Madonna as the spokesperson, in addition to sponsoring her 1990 world tour. The commercial was aired twice before the release of the music video on MTV. The release of the video for "Like a Prayer" caused a huge controversy: in it, Madonna witnesses a murder, kisses a black saint, displays stigmata after cutting her palms on a knife, and dances in a field of burning crosses. Religious groups were furious and threatened to boycott Pepsi. Pepsi decided the risk was too great, and they cancelled their ad campaign, although Madonna got to keep her end of the $5 million dollar contract.^[1]

The controversy raised over "Like a Prayer" worked as free publicity. The single soared to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the USA. The album debuted at #11, and within three weeks, shot to #1, where it would stay for over a month. Singles "Express Yourself" and "Cherish" both made it to #2. "Oh Father" was her least successful single since 1984, but still became a Top 20 hit, peaking at number 20. "Keep It Together" reached #8 on the charts, and "Dear Jessie" was also a hit single in Europe, and had an animated video. To date, "Like A Prayer" has sold nearly 5 million copies in America and 13 million worldwide.

Critics applauded the album for its eclectic nature and Madonna's candid confessions, with Rolling Stone magazine hailing it "...as close to art as pop music gets".It featured the first of several songs throughout her career in which she talked openly about her mother's death, "Promise to Try"; Madonna even dedicated the album to "my mother who taught me to pray". She also addresses the end of her marriage to actor Sean Penn in the song "Till Death Do Us Part".

Like a Prayer is generally considered to be one of Madonna's two best albums (Ray of Light being the other) by critics and fans alike, and frequently is placed in 'best of' lists. In 2003, the album was ranked number 237 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Initial pressings of the LPs, CDs, and cassettes were scented with patchouli oil, Madonna's favorite scent (and even almost 20 years later many of these original pressings still smell of it). Also included was an AIDS factsheet, which is still included in current pressings of the CD. It was the first time a pop artist had ever included AIDS information with a product.

According to a list released by Time magazine on November 13, 2006, Like a Prayer is on the All-TIME 100 Albums, grouped according to time period.

Track listing

Singles

Album Credits

Personnel

• Madonna - synthesizer, vocals, background vocals
• Nadirah Ali - background vocals
• Rose Banks - background vocals
• Reverend Dave Boruff - brass
• Stephen Bray - synthesizer
• Luis Conte - percussion
• Larry Corbett - cello
• Andraé Crouch - chorus
• Sandra Crouch - tambourine
• Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
• Donna DeLory - background vocals
• Lynne Fiddmont - background vocals
• Chuck Findley - brass
• Bruce Gairsch - guitar
• Niki Haris - background vocals
• Dann Huff - guitar
• Dick Hyde - brass
• Randy "The Emperor" Jackson - bass
• Chester Kamen - guitar
• Geary Lanier - clavinet
• Patrick Leonard - synthesizer, piano, Hammond organ, clavinet
• Marcos Loya - guitar, background vocals
• Steve Madaio - brass
• Marilyn Martin - background vocals
• Joseph Mayer - french horn
• Jonathan Moffett - drums
• Jeff Porcaro - drums, marimba
• Guy Pratt - bass
• John Roninson - drums
• Richard Todd - French horn
• David Williams - guitar
• Jai Winding - synthesizer

Production

• Produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard
• Produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray ("Express Yourself" and "Keep It Together")
• Produced by Madonna and Prince ("Love Song")
• Mixed and Engineered by Bill Bottrell
• Horns arranged by Chuck Findley
• Strings Arranged and Conducted by Bill Meyers
• Concertmaster: Susie Katayama

Chart performance

Certifications

References

For charts and certifications:

• "Chart Performance of Madonna Records - A Compiled History". MLVC.ORG - Charts. link - last accessed on December 11, 2005.
• "Madonna Tribe News: Pier Pinto's Charts Updates". Madonna Tribe News. link - last accessed on December 11, 2005.

All-TIME 100 Albums: link - last accessed on November 16, 2006

• Like a Prayer at MusicBrainz

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